The NBA regular season has come to a close, and some play-in tournament games have already happened. This has been an incredible regular season, with a lot of talented players showing off what they can do on the basketball court. With the conclusion of the season, many fans have been wondering which players will end up winning awards this season.
- Most Valuable Player: Nikola Jokic
- Defensive Player of the Year: Mikal Bridges
- Rookie of the Year: Evan Mobley
- Sixth Man of the Year: Tyler Herro
- Most Improved Player: Ja Morant
- Coach of the Year: Monty Williams
- Next
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- Los Angeles Lakers’ Current Players’ Status For The 2022-23 NBA Season: LeBron James, Anthony Davis And Russell Westbrook Will Earn $129.5 Million Combined
- Highest PPG At Every Age: Kobe Bryant Holds The Record As 18-Year-Old, Michael Jordan As 34-Year-Old, LeBron James As 37-Year-Old
In this article, we predict which players will end up going home with individual awards such as the MVP. Due to the amount of talent in the league currently, these races have been very close, with many analysts struggling to finalize their picks for each award. However, only one person can win each of these awards, and with that being said, here are our projected winners for each NBA award.
Most Valuable Player: Nikola Jokic
27.1 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.9 BPG
2nd Place: Giannis Antetokounmpo
3rd Place: Joel Embiid
Nikola Jokic has put together a spectacular season this year, bringing the Denver Nuggets to the playoffs as a 6th seed this year while being without co-stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. for the majority of the season. He has continued to show that he is an absolute offensive powerhouse this year while cementing his status as the best playmaking big man of all time. His production this year has been incredible, and Nikola Jokic set career highs in multiple categories, such as PPG, RPG, SPG, and FG%.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been fantastic all season as well and was dominant on both ends of the floor. With that being said, it seems likely that the voters will look at his team situation, and rank him lower than Nikola Jokic because of that. Khris Middleton was an All-Star selection, while Jrue Holiday has played at an All-Star level this season. However, it is clear that Giannis Antetokounmpo has still played at an MVP level, and thus comes in 2nd place here.Â
There has been a lot of hype about Joel Embiid potentially being the MVP this year, but he has not been a better individual player than Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic. Embiid isn’t as transcendent offensively as Jokic, and he isn’t as much of a two-way presence as Antetokounmpo. Joel Embiid has had a fantastic year for the 76ers though and was the scoring leader this season, averaging 30.6 PPG. He would likely be an MVP some other years, but it seems as though this is not his year.
The argument for Nikola Jokic is that he has been extremely valuable for his team’s success. Some may point to the fact that Denver Nuggets are only the 6th seed in the Western Conference, but there is precedent for a player on a lower seed winning MVP, as that happened with Russell Westbrook during the 2016-17 season.
Defensive Player of the Year: Mikal Bridges
14.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG
2nd Place: Giannis Antetokounmpo
3rd Place: Bam Adebayo
Mikal Bridges has been a consistent defender this season. He consistently guards the opposing team’s best player and is capable of guarding multiple positions effectively. The Phoenix Suns’ forward has been crucial to the Phoenix Suns finishing with a top-5 regular-season defense, and he has also been available for all 82 games. The combination of his durability and consistent top-tier defense should get him the award.Â
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a very good defender, and he is also a multi-positional defender who is also a great rim protector. However, despite his individual brilliance on that end, the Milwaukee Bucks have been a middling defense this season. Bam Adebayo has been very good as the anchor of the Miami Heat defense and he is a valuable big man that can comfortably switch on to guards and forwards. The factor that is working against Bam Adebayo is that he’s missed some time with injury this season, while also having other good defenders on his squad. Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo both have cases for the award, but ultimately, Mikal Bridges has had a transcendent defensive season that merits him winning the DPOY.
Rookie of the Year: Evan Mobley
15.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.7 BPG
2nd Place: Scottie Barnes
3rd Place: Cade Cunningham
Evan Mobley has had a fantastic rookie season this year, showing his versatility on both ends of the floor. He has played a key role in making the Cleveland Cavaliers into a top-10 defense, and he has shown that he is an amazing rim protector who is also mobile enough to guard forwards and guards. His box score stats are pretty good as well, and he leads all rookies in RPG and BPG.
Scottie Barnes has been consistent for the Toronto Raptors this season, putting up 15.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 3.5 APG. While his offensive stats are similar to Evan Mobley’s, he hasn’t been as brilliant on the defensive end as Evan Mobley. Cade Cunningham struggled to start the season but has turned it around since then, finishing the season with 17.4 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 5.6 APG. While this rookie class has clearly been very good, Evan Mobley stands out among the crowd due to his impact on winning and his defensive abilities.
Sixth Man of the Year: Tyler Herro
20.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG
2nd Place: Kelly Oubre
3rd Place: Kevin Love
Tyler Herro has been a force off the bench for the Miami Heat. He is efficient, unlike some former 6MOY winners, and is the 2nd leading scorer on the Miami Heat. He also is second in total points coming off the bench this season, and he likely would have finished first had he not missed 16 games. His impact on winning should be considered here as well, as he achieved all of this while playing on the 1st seeded Miami Heat.
Kelly Oubre has had a solid start to the season with the Charlotte Hornets, having some explosive scoring nights from the bench for the team. His production has waned during the second half of the season, but he still finished among the top-20 in total 3PT shots made this season. Kevin Love has provided solid production and veteran leadership for the Cleveland Cavaliers off the bench this season, putting up 13.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 2.2 APG. While both of these players have been important for their teams’ performances, Tyler Herro should win the award based on him playing a crucial role on a contending team.
Most Improved Player: Ja Morant
27.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG
2nd Place: Miles Bridges
3rd Place: Dejounte Murray
Ja Morant is our pick for the MIP award. He has taken the leap from being a good point guard into being a player that should be All-NBA and who is producing like a superstar. During the 2020-21 season, Ja Morant averaged 19.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 7.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, and 0.2 BPG. As we can see above, his stats increased in each category except for assists. On top of his improvement in those categories, he is also averaging career highs in FG% and 3PT%.Â
Miles Bridges has definitely taken a big leap this season, becoming a great two-way player who can effectively score near the rim and create his own shot. Miles Bridges averaged 20.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 3.8 APG this season, and he is the perfect secondary star to develop next to LaMelo Ball. Dejounte Murray has become the face of the San Antonio Spurs this season, getting his first All-Star appearance while averaging 21.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 9.2 APG. He also notably led the league in SPG this season, with 2.0. There is no doubt that Miles Bridges and Dejounte Murray are budding stars, but Ja Morant’s huge leap into superstardom is the reason that he should be the MIP.
Coach of the Year: Monty Williams
(64-18 record, No. 1 in Western Conference, No. 1 in the NBA)
2nd Place: Erik Spoelstra
3rd Place: Taylor Jenkins
Monty Williams has coached the Phoenix Suns to the best record in the league, finishing with 64 wins. The argument for Monty Williams is simple: he is the coach of the best team in the league. The Phoenix Suns’ 64 wins are the most in franchise history, and while the players should get a lot of the credit, it is clear that this wouldn’t be the same team without Monty Williams coaching.
Erik Spoelstra’s case lies in the fact that he has been able to lead the Miami Heat to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference while facing injuries to key players all season. It takes a really good coach to be able to win while missing star-level players. Taylor Jenkins’ case is simple: the Memphis Grizzlies record without Ja Morant this season is 20-5, and that is a testament to Jenkins’ coaching ability. While both Erik Spoelstra and Taylor Jenkins have excelled in the face of difficulties in their season, Monty Williams’ continuously winning with his team over the course of the season suggests that he should be the COTY.
